Hustle!

byESmall2017

943 followers

Updated 9 years ago

What's Up Wealth-Aflians, I wrote this for a class project a couple years ago, and just thought I would share it... I firmly believe you Get-What-U-Give!!! And being an old-school hip-hop enthusiast I here the word "Hustle" a lot and when used in the right context it signifies drive and determination and that's kinda what I was trying to say in this paper... Let me know what ya'll think

Thanks again for allowing me to express myself.

HUSTLE

In my forty three years of life, I’m sure I’ve used quite a few words out of context or incorrectly. Nowadays a word used out of context is no longer wrong it’s just considered “Slang.” Defined; A kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect.

The word I’ve chosen is “Hustle.” We’ve all heard this before or maybe even used it a few times. I can still hear my uncle Jim now, “boy you gotta-get your Hustle on if you want to make in this world.” For me that meant work hard to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself, failure was not an option.

I’ve been hustling ever since. At the age of twelve with an old rusty lawn mower and a five gallon gas can I developed my first “Hustle.” It was my goal to cut and maintain ever yard in the neighborhood; this ambitious goal was coming to fruition until it was snuffed out by bigger guys with bigger lawn mowers and contracts. No complaints from me though I learned a lot and was perfecting my “Hustle.”

At the age of seventeen I hustled in my first real job manning a fryer for the King, Burger King that is. I can remember going home many nights with my loafers full of grease. No problem it’s all a part of doing what’s necessary to achieve your goals.

After mastering the art of keeping the French Fries hot and the Chicken Patties crisp it was time to move on to bigger and better things. So at the cocky and confident age of eighteen I graduated from High School and immediately joined the Air Force. There was no time to sit around contemplating what to do next. Besides being the son of a retired Sergeant Major I had two choices, continue my education or join the Army. I chose the latter; I did express my independence a little by joining the Air Force instead. And for the next twenty years from an (E-3) Airman to an (E-7) Master Sergeant, I’ve continued to learn and grow, forever striving to improve my “Hustle.”

There’s also the darker side of the word where it takes on a more negative connotation. For example, to sell something in an illegal or improper way; i.e., he’s been hustling drugs on the streets for a few years. In the world of Music and Entertainment this type of “Hustle” is portrayed quite often. In the 2005 movie aptly titled “Hustle & Flow.” A redemptive story of a streetwise Memphis Hustler trying to find his voice and realize his long buried dreams. He’s always had a way with words, that gift has long been misused; this philosopher-hustler lives a dead-end life at the fringes of society. After being shaken by mid-life crisis. He decides to concentrate all his efforts on becoming an emcee. Explained a little differently by this time failure was not an option, he had to drastically improve his “Hustle” and do whatever it took to reach his goal of becoming an emcee.

As with most words, this six letter jewel has many definitions, but one thing holds true. In whatever context it’s used it seems to signify drive or urgency. Be it legal or illegal. Most of us tend to be sway more towards the legal “Hustle”, just like my Uncle Jim always said “you gotta-get your Hustle on if you want to make it in this world.”